Russia declassifies Auschwitz liberation documentsNews

The Russian FSB has declassified documents on the Soviet army liberating Auschwitz concentration camp. Russian officials opened the archives to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.

The declassified documents show that there were Polish citizens among the camp supervisors. According to the testimony of the inmates, beatings and humiliations were systematic. Alfred Skrzypek, who was the camp supervisor, stated that the administration laid the base for the forth crematorium in 1943 since the three existing ones «were not enough to kill all the victims.»

The Auschwitz prisoner Elizabeth Hasse shared that there was «sports» punishment: the prisoners had to run with weight for several hours on Sundays. Another prisoner Yevgeny Kovalev stated that he found Poles crueler than the Germans, reports REN TV. Supervisor Willie Steiborn admitted that he shot two prisoners with his own hands, one of whom was a Pole like himself.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated on January 27, 1945, when Soviet troops entered its territory. This date is now considered the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The leaders of many countries will visit Jerusalem on this day for the memorial events. Presidents of Russia, France, German, and Italy have already confirmed their visit.

Press started discussing the events of World War II more frequently after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement offended the Polish authorities. Now the politicians of the two countries keep accusing each other of misinterpreting the historical events.